Tuesday, October 4, 2016

nepotism (NEP-uh-tiz-uhm) noun:

• Favoritism shown to relatives and friends, especially in business or political appointments.

From Italian nepotismo, from Latin nepos (grandson, nephew). Ultimately from the Indo-European root nepot- (grandson, nephew) that is also the source of the words nephew and niece.

 

pre-festive

• The state of premature holiday celebration by means of decorations, singing, or costume.

The Smith family, with their Christmas lights up in October, are quite pre-festive.

History

• Gregorian calendar: was proclaimed by Pope Gregory XIII; this date, October 4, was followed immediately by October 15 in Spain, Portugal, Poland and most of Italy (1582)
• US Open golf tournament: was played for the first time; the $150 prize was won by Horace Rawlins (1895)
• Sputnik: the space race began when Russia launched the first man-made satellite into orbit (1957)
• Pope Paul VI: became the first pontiff to visit the US when he addressed the UN General Assembly in New York (1965)
• Hooters, the delightfully tacky yet unrefined restaurant chain came into being (1983)

  

  

Birthdays

• Rutherford B. Hayes (U.S.) 1822
• Frederic S. Remington 1861
• Edward L. Stratemeyer 1862
• Damon Runyon 1884
• Buster Keaton 1895
• Frankie Crosetti 1910
• Jan Murray 1917
• Charlton Heston 1924
• Alvin Toffler 1928
• Leroy Van Dyke 1929
• Felicia Farr 1932
• Sam Huff 1934
• Eddie Applegate 1935
• Anne Rice 1941
• Lori Saunders 1941
• Jackie Collins 1941
• Nona Hendryx 1944
• Clifton Davis 1945
• Susan Sarandon 1946
• James Fielder (Buffalo Springfield) 1947
• Armand Assante 1949
• Alan Rosenberg 1950
• Barbara McDonald (Timbuk 3) 1958
• Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys) 1959
• Greg Hubbard (Sawyer Brown) 1960
• Jon Secada 1961
• David W. Harper 1961
• Liev Schreiber 1967
• Alicia Silverstone 1976
• Rachel Leigh Cook 1979
• Jimmy Workmann 1980
• Michael Charles Roman 1987